Sankt Pölten is the capital city of the Austrian State of Lower Austria. With 51,073 inhabitants (counted 2005) it is Lower Austria's largest city. Sankt Pölten is a city with its own statute (or Statutarstadt) and therefore it is both a municipality and a district in the Mostviertel.

History

The oldest part of the city is built on the site of the ancient Roman city Aelium Cetium that existed between the 2nd and the 4th century. In the year 799, it was called Treisma. Sankt Pölten became a town in 1050 and officially became a city in 1159. Until 1494 Sankt Pölten was part of the diocese of Passau, and then became property of the state. A Benedictine monastery was founded in 771. In 1081 it hosted the Augustinian Chorherren and in 1784 their Kollegiatsstift closed. Since 1785, this building has hosted the cathedra of Sankt Pölten. The city became the capital of Lower Austria with a resolution by the Lower Austrian parliament on July 10, 1986. The Lower Austrian government has been hosted in Sankt Pölten since 1997.

The name Sankt Pölten is derived from Hippolytus of Rome. The city was renamed to Sankt Hippolyt, then Sankt Polyt and finally Sankt Pölten.

Culture and objects of interest

Theatres

• Lower Austrian state theatre
• Bühne im Hof
• Festspielhaus St. Pölten

Museums

• Diocese museum St. Pölten
• Museum im Hof
• Lower Austrian state museum
• Lower Austrian documentation institute for modern art
• Private museum "Wilhelmsburger ornament and utensil dishes"
• City museum St. Pölten

Others

• Repertory theatre Cinema Paradiso
• Former Synagogue
• Klangturm (tower), the city's landmark
• Stadtsäle (public event hall)
• Youth culture hall frei.raum
• capella incognita, baroque music ensemble from Sankt Pölten
• VAZ (Veranstaltungszentrum, event-centre)
• Drunter & Drüber (≈"haywire"; "higgledy-piggledy"; "topsy-turvy"), a pub in the inner city
• Tonkünstler Orchestra
• Business Center Niederösterreich
• Apotheke zum goldenen Löwen (pharmacy since 1545), oldest shop in town, famous baroque facing.